Remarkable growth for someone who's still only 19.

Dude you seriously put EVERY single "sports analyst" on the big TV networks to shame. None of them are actually analysts. They don't extrapolate data, form graphs to back up their points, provide deep and thoughtful insight onto the nuances of the game like you do. They are just glorified TV opinion personalities. YOU are a legit analyst. Not only is all your analysis data-driven and backed up by the numbers, you are able to take very logical conclusions from complicated trends and then articulate them perfectly to your audience. You are able to translate complex data into easily understandable insight - and that is NOT a common skill. Plus you are a fantastic narrator with a smooth voice. I'm seriously impressed, man. I hope your content one day explodes and enters the mainstream NBA fan consciousness and you make millions. Legit if I was a powerful executive at ESPN, I'd offer to give you your own show right now.

When Jayson Tatum retires, his fans will say, "Why is he retiring so early? HE'S ONLY 39!"

His beard finally connected

Last time I was this early the Bucks were considered title favourites

Random NBA fan in a discussion about a certain player being over/underrated: "Do you even watch basketball??" Ben, having just studied 12 hours of Bulls film to analyze Kris Dunn's off-ball defense: *Smirks* Am I the only one that regularly imagines this type of scenario?

Tatum and Luka are the future, looking forward to some epic battles between those 2. They’re still kids who aren’t anywhere close to their peak yet.

Hey, I'am a Brazilian fan of the channel. The subtitles used help me to understand the content of the video, if you can make it availabe again in the next videos would be nice.

Wow still kind of surreal that Tatum is already in conversations for top 10 player in the league.

His passing game really surprised me ever since the bubble. his dribble is still sometimes unreliable and he tends to not finish decently at the rim but the change from last year is fantastic. Same for Brown. His defense against Toronto... My goodness that's a work of art!

Lets go always love when I get that Thinking Basketball notification!!!!

yessssss Thinking Basketball please upload more. I need it during these amazing playoffs

Would Love a video on Durant and his prospects of returning to his peak form

His growth has been great to witness. He's not simply relying on physical gifts to get better. He studies the game and develops those fundamentals and intricacies that will carry over well throughout his career.

Sees "Thinking basketball" starts thinking my day just got better.

My favorite basketbal channel by far! Keep up the good work man!

Been waiting for this since the last video on Tatum 💯 Love the channel such high quality as always

Hell ya! I love your videos! Just what I needed after a long day at work

Your breakdowns and analyses are always spot on. Tatum is a fantastic talent

Ben, this new thumbnail style is definitely an improvement. Looks way cleaner. Keep up the great work!

Glad you redid this

i can’t explain how much i love these videos

I wish he'd take the leap in 2k. He's freaking terrible with the CPU controlling him.

I always enjoy ur vids, ur very logical, and in my humble opinion, ur up there as one of the best Basketball 🏀 analysts in the world 🌎

Im a Raptors fan, but I gotta admit I love his progression right now and hes fun to watch. Honestly I love it when any player improves on his game.

love your content. Learned alot about how to evaluate and analyze. Can you make a video on who your top 10 rising superstars are? I know personally I'd love to hear your thoughts and Im sure all of your viewers will too. Either way, amazing job sir. Keep up the great work

i’ve been waiting for this video

God the quality of these videos is insane!

We needed this updated analysis! Great vid

these vids are ridiculously high quality

also his shot is soo smooth, like actually maybe the most smooth shots behind PG3 and maybe some of the logo shooters such as SC and Trae

I love these in depth analysis'

You know it's a good day when ben uploads

As always, this channel delivers insights and analytics like inviting you for a simple talk about basketball analysis and analytics with a beer 🍻 or coffee ☕ in the table.

Loved this video! I was telling people around this time last year that Tatum was a top 10 player and people were telling me that I was crazy. It's nice to see all the work and data you've gathered that at least show that I'm not totally crazy. Question: Do you think Tatum can be a top 5 player in the league? He's still only 22, I can't help but think that by the time he's 26 he's going to be a top 5 guy, thoughts?

now that was a fortunate refresh

its been 2 days and jayson just clutched a game 7 win. Video aged like wine (really quickly though)

PLEASE make another video, maybe one on the differences on when tatum is taking tough shots vs easy shots created by the offense

The potential is scary some, some players don't reach there's, and some do like Tatum. I'm so glad he's taking the leap

Great video

Another director's cut version up for Patreon subscribers -- here's that Athletic link for the discount: www.theathletic.com/thinkingbasketball

I’m new to your channel I love your videos

Luka sophomore vid, or a vid on his playoff performance this year?

Solid JT fan here from🇵🇭

That look off 3 was a thing of beauty

“Outbreak in the middle of january” 😂

Ben, I wish you post more frequently

I would love for you to do a similar video like this for Luka Doncic. His jump from rookie to sophomore year was huge. I know you touched upon it in a 5-thoughts video, but I feel like Luka has shown enough (especially after the playoffs) for a deep dive.

Up until 5:57 and it's crazy how he looks like a reeeeeally water down version of Luka offensively, but it's a really raw raw version of someone still learning (the progression basically everyone, Luka included, must pass). But it's not quite the same as Luka style and he's still amazing despite that because of that monster physique! He doesn't need to rely on his wits because he can just attack the basket and overpower like a badass (geez, how i'm envy!). Strength it's a 2 way sword and i know that he was also putting TONS of efforts in becoming a better defender so his approach is actually perfect and he looks like he'll have a bright future, it will just take more time because he's implementing them slowly and focusing on the long term. He's almost exactly the kind of player would try to be.

Someone send this to Andrew Wiggins

My god you miss a lot of these little tricks and tasty footwork like the Lowry look-off and the Ibaka euro step at game speed. So much craft goes into his game. Great analysis.

If someone learned to use the “head fake to pass” and used it to shoot without looking which sounds super hard that would be so op

Was wondering, his finishing limitations remind me a little bit of luka's last year. do you think Jayson would be capable of making similar improvements to luka's?

Your analysis of the game is better than anyone working for ESPN or TNT.

Hes been great at getting to the line

I think you should make a video about kawhi this may be a hot take but I think he’s the most complete basketball Player in the world rn his defense is still really good he can score on all 3 levels at an elite level that midrange game so smooth he’s a really good rebounder and his passing has improved so much and watching these games it’s so great to see him make great passes

Nice BAM block for the win. GO HEAT!

Can you do a video about playoff fatigue and etc

you should make a video on miami's playoff run so far

That game winner over RJ (9:04) was filthy I had to rewind

Hey Thinking Basketball, it is about time you make a video about how the Mavericks can build around Luka, or even better Luka and KP. Who would be an ideal 3rd star? Should they just go with 2 stars and invest in quality depth from 3 to 12? Come on! Everyone will love it! As someone who has watched every game of theirs I think they need an elite wing defender. I love Dorrian Finney Smith, but the Mavericks are not very capable of guarding elite wings. Second, I think it would behoove the Mavericks to find a 1-2 in the mold of Marcus Smart, or even a just a 1 like Pat Beverly. The West is loaded with PGs and as much as I love Brunson, the Mavericks need an elite defender to deal with Pgs, while also capable of initiating the offense from time to time, BUT has to be a 37% plus shooter from 3.

NBA ALL LIGHTSKIN TEAM: Curry, Book, Klay, Tatum, Gobert Bench: Trae, LaVine, Ben, Blake, J Allen

Nothin better than scrolling youtube and seeing that fried thumbnail of a basketball player

How good is thinking basketball now ?!! Fantastic breakdown

The KZfaq Goat 🐐

At 2:30 it would be better if you increased the size of the graphics. Most people now consume youtube on mobiles, those texts are just too small, even on fullscreen. It's better to maximize the use of the screen's real estate

Do a video on playoff Russel Westbrook please !

If he can improve his rim finishing is the key.

4:05 into it and i don't agree with the term "leap", it implies that you need to wait or that he suddenly woke up better one year. When in reality these are all changes that he could ALWAYS have made sooner (aside from growing). He could always have shot 3s instead of long 2s (which takes less contact and energy), he could have been more aggressive on drives (since aggression is a mindset) and he could have lifted weights before to gain mass (which personally speaking makes WONDERS for your athletic perfomance and those muscles stay for a long time even if you reduce the lifting to zero). JJ even passed through this, a team analyst once told him "here are your numbers when you shoot long 2s, and here are your numbers when you simply side step and do a 3. From today on, you're only shooting 3s.", he said the difference was so shocking that it was messing him up at the beginning of the season, cause he was thinking too much about it. I think that what actually changed were at least three things: better coaching, analytics and staff. They calculated his numbers and the league and created a recipe. After all, this "use 3s to open drives and hunt for layups instead of jumpers" is old af now!!!! And everyone does it. After knowing what works best for everyone, it was time to individualize.

Tatum has been my fav player to watch since he came in the league. I didnt know there were so many small nuances to his game. I feel like im watching tmac in Orlando when i watch tatum. Although not as athletic, he has a similar style and stature. Hes not giving u 30+ a night like tmac, but hes probably a better defender and playmaker.

didnt u mention that he took more contested shots his second year or third idk, well i think that was just him feelin it and maybe considering expanding his game further away and more extreme. he himself stated kobe was his idol in terms of play and we all know what typa shots kobe could pull up with. tatums work ethic do be amazing and I expect nothing but greatness from him in the next upcoming years

Thanks

I really reluctantly at first but adamantly of recently really think Jayson Tatum can one day become an NBA Great Generational Talent. Jayson Tatum has an admirable work ethic, a driven personality and an excellent and an ever ascending player whom has beautifully burst into the NBA as a Player whom could lead a team to a Championship as the Alpha number one Option on an true NBA Championship contender. I am not sure what the NBA Finals will have in store for us in terms of matchup, yet I am really hoping that we have an 2020 NBA Finals that reinvigorates one of the best rivalries in the NBA, and that being the Los Angeles Lakers playing the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Finals. It is something that I would especially enjoy watching if both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics so we can have a better NBA Finals March Up. But comment on this post what you think and who would be the best Basketball Matchup.

if you get time please do something on the bucks or Giannis or both

man that head fake was so tuff!

He still needs to get stronger his layup package reminds me of pg real finesse borderline soft

The last time I was this early everyone thought 2020 would be one of the best years in NBA history

Celtics vs the heat would be a great series. Would like to see the Celtics try tatum at the 5 some of those games

Can you Remake this like every 2 years

Jason taytum, Luka, and the pelicans are the future

Can you please do a video on Bradley Beal? Like can you analyze whether or not he should make an All NBA team this year

It’s crazy that he’s 6’10 now

What I think is most interesting about Tatum is the fact that the Kobe comparisons are becoming more and more justified. He plays like a modern day kobe, tugging at defense with his jumpers, which opens up the drive, and although he isn't a great finisher, neither was kobe. His passing also seems to be kobe like. I wonder how his unique blenc of size, skill, and limitations could shape pout in the future. He specifically intrigues me as a three point shooter, and if he can start stretching his range to a couple feet behind the lines, we might be looking at a 6 foot 8 damian lillard who can defend in a couple of year, a scary thought for the rest of the league. He's only 22, and his ceiling is just as high as other young buzzsaws, like Luka and Zion, at least for me.

Does anyone ever wish that Ben could do an in-depth analysis of THEIR game? haha

Next superstar

looks like more potential then kawhi, or even like MJ. i miss Theis in the last picture, he is a big part of Celtics und Tatum highlights

I think you fucked up the graphic at the end. It says 88th percentile efficiency but the point is only about halfway up the bar. Great video as always though!!!

You should do a Fred Van Vleet breakdown because he’s going to get paid bug this summer

He should body build and get a LeBron-like physique

main issue with him is he thinks and plays like a 2 guard instead of a 3 or modern 4, the bubble kind of exposed his lack of experience in closing out games attacking from the outside, I want him to study paul pierce's game since both had identical pace , get to his spots , before attacking , more mid post, instead of freestyling and messing around with the ball too much

His second season he contracted the terrible affliction called Kobe Brain, settling for contested Mid rangers.

Do a video on the evolution on defense in basketball...and how.you need to be a more.versatile defender now

Brad Beal has slowly developed into a 30 point scorer. I’d love a breakdown

Obviously Tatum gets all the credit for upping his game, but I also appreciate brad stevens helping to maximize Tatum when he’s on the court. Taking his P&R looks a couple steps deeper off the 3 line has made Tatum MUCH more lethal

Wish this was the type of analysis that was considered mainstream. It's way more fun than guys yelling at each other about free agency.

Watching this in 2022 after tatum just started off the season looking like an mvp candidate

I can see him being an MVP candidate in a few years

Tatum is awesome, and will only get better, no doubt. However, as the video even mentions, I am surprised at how underwhelming his athleticism is, at least with his elevation. He doesn't have that Lebron/MJ/Kobe/TMac burst at the rim, not even close. Maybe this is due to his small hands, in part. He seems closer to a Kawhi type - slightly taller but also needs to jump off two feet to get any serious elevation and has much smaller hands.

I can't see Tatum having a career that's any worse than 5 or 6 all star selections, and if he continues to put the effort in he'll be an mvp candidate in a few years

5:59 The defender messed up big time this time, they shouldn't have lost this point given the fact there was only one option and he was so close.